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College, I have learned several approaches to teaching, what goals are important in development
as well as using play, a natural way children learn, as a vehicle for teaching, enhancing and
expanding. I have also discovered what I value as a teacher and what types of practices will
allow for the most effective teaching I can offer my future students and families. Another
important aspect that I have recently experienced and come to value, is the importance of
families, and the relationships you develop with your students’ families.
There are several developmental goals important to a child’s growth and development.
Of these, I believe the emotional and social development to be one of the most important
developmental goals for children 3-8 years old. These are critical as children learn self-
awareness as and learn more about their roles in their family, school, and community. Dr.
support and early childhood mental health and professor at San Diego State University, tells
readers
“A child’s social-emotional development motivates them to learn critical skills such as the ability
to communicate, connect with others, resolve conflict, self-regulate, display kindness and
empathy and cope with challenges. These skills are crucial for school readiness. Without
cognitive, social, and emotional self-control in the classroom, learning cannot occur”
Emotional and social development in children are also important for helping them to make good
decisions and build meaningful relationships with classmates, family and trusting adults in their
lives.
Language and literacy development are also very important goals for children ages 3-8
years old. Language is especially important in the early years as children learn to express
themselves and learn the language needed to do so. Carrie Shrier, an advocate of early literacy at
Michigan State University, explains to readers that “preschoolers whose parents read to them,
tell them stories and sing songs with them, tend to develop larger vocabularies, become better
readers and perform better in school”. There are several ways to encourage early literacy in
children such using finger plays, singing common lullabies or always rereading a child’s favorite
book. Children being able to handle books and tell stories through pictures are pre-emergent
Motor development is also very important as children are learning new ways in which to
use their body, perform every day tasks and learn to become independent. Fine and large motor
skills are essential for children to learn through the use of holding a writing tool, painting,
gripping small objects with tweezers or learning to balance on a balance beam, standing on one
foot, hopping or sliding down a fireman pole. Though each one of these things may seem small
and of insignificant value, a child is learning so much about themselves, their abilities, using
their bodies to make things happen as well as many others that the child isn’t even aware of.
I believe that play used as a tool for learning is also very important as children are
learning so much through manipulation and exploration in the environment the teacher creates
for them as well as in the world around them. Therefor play should make up a large quantity of
the child’s day, giving them time to explore their interest, socialize, understand cause and effect
and build their imaginations as they dig in to materials and objects provided at each center.
The environment in which the child develops, learns and grows in is also very important
to their overall learning experience. I believe that it should captivate a child’s imagination, while
not overstimulating, and represent the classroom as whole. Pictures of the children’s families
should be placed around the room as well as artwork created by children that they are proud of
and have chosen should be hung up or framed. Plants that are non-toxic are should also be
placed in the classroom allowing for a natural environment and can also be used as teaching tool
in a variety of developmental outcomes. A cozy place a child can go to relax and be quiet is also
a valuable thing to offer students as well. Lastly lighting that is soft and creating a warm,
welcoming environment for children is also important. While each of these may seem small,
together each of these creates a warm, friendly environment that children can feel safe, welcome
I also believe that families play a very vital role in a child’s life and the classroom. As a
teacher, I would create bridges between families and school allowing them to feel apart of their
child’s journey through school and feel as if they apart of a small community. There should not
be a separation of home life and school life for a child on a large scale. I believe that families
should be encourage as well as invited to volunteer, spend a day at school with their child, offer
whatever services they may have to offer, whether it’s letting the class borrow a book or coming
in to tell the class about their job. Every family should be made to feel that they are welcome and
Another critical item to address is diversity. Diversity effects all students in some way or
another whether it’s religion, ethnicity, celebrating or excluding certain holidays or where you
live. Therefor I believe diversity should be apart of your classroom in every way through the
environment, in objects, daily routines, in lesson plans as well as in the atmosphere. Each child
should feel proud to be who they are as well as respecting their classmates who may differ from
themselves in some way. As the teacher I would create an environment where families and
students are able to be themselves, feel their needs are met and are not made to feel left out or
Throughout my studies there have been many theorists that have influenced my beliefs of
early childhood in one way or another. Of those, the theorists who have had the most profound
effect are Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, Maria Montessori and Howard Gardner. Each of these
theorists have similar yet differing views of the child and how they develop and learn. I believe
each one of these theories to be valuable in affectively teaching and helping students to
developmentally grow.
Combining these theories allows the teacher to use student interests to plan curriculum in
a variety of ways to allow for the most students to learn from it while allowing students to learn
in an intentionally, aesthetically pleasing environment allowing for children to learn from items,
materials and people around them. It would also mean allowing for play to make up a large part
of the daily routine while as the teacher enhancing and extending children’s learning.
Key factors in developmentally appropriate practice that will influence my teaching are
knowing how the child learns and develops, using observation and child interests as a method of
deciding what children will learn, what they need to learn and how they can learn this
information and taking children and their families’ values, beliefs and expectations into
consideration when planning for my classroom. I feel these three things are important because
they will provide some of the main structures of my teaching as well as influencing what and
how I teach my future students as well as how I will interact with their families.
To become and remain the most effective teacher I am able to be, I believe that I need to
use every opportunity when working with children to ask myself how I can better enhance or
extend their learning as well as reflecting on what I did well or could improve upon. I believe
that being an effective teacher means using observations and assessments as tools to look at what
they children are responding to, what they are and are not grasping and using it as a tool to
reflect upon my teaching, asking myself what went well, what didn’t and how I can better help
There are many mechanisms I never thought of or took into consideration, that go into
being an effective teacher, when I began my school career at Northwest State. Since then, I have
begun to understand which things mean the most to me in being the most effective teacher I can
be. I have learned to adapt theories I value into my teaching, applying what I have learned to
practice and use reflection to understand what I need to do better to apply skills, child interest
and growth and development into a lesson that will have the most effective impact on the
children. These items along with my growing educational philosophy will support my teaching
Ritblatt, Shulamit. “What Is Social Emotional Development and Why Is It Important in Early
blog.schoolspecialty.com/what-is-social-emotional-development-and-why-is-it-important-in-
early-childhood/.
Shrier, Carrie. “ABC's of Early Literacy: The Importance of Developing Early Literacy
www.canr.msu.edu/news/abcs_of_early_literacy_the_importance_of_developing_early_literac
y_skills.